The police caught an Asian expatriate red-handed with 144 bottles of homemade liquor on the streets of Riyadh.

According to the police, a police patrol apprehended the Indian worker with 12 cases of liquor in his car near the Malaz intersection in the Saudi capital. They searched the bootlegger on a tip-off from by an unidentified caller, who had complained that the suspect was in the process of selling bottles of liquor at various points in the city.

After the man's arrest, the police also found that the car, which was used to distribute the liquor bottles, was hired from a car rental company and the man had failed to return the car on time. The rental company had already reported the delay to the police.

The Indian worker is facing charges on two counts: the manufacture and sale of liquor and the use of a stolen car. The police returned the vehicle to the car rental company.

The suspect has confessed to the charges, the police said. During investigations, the police found out the place where the liquor was brewed and the dealers responsible for its retail distribution.

Last year, a school van driver was caught in the capital with a large consignment of locally brewed liquor.

The police said that the driver, an African, had used the official school vehicle to transport liquor from place to place in the city.

“The criminal was caught with a large quantity of water bottles containing liquor, which he was transporting for distribution among dealers,” a police statement said.

The police raided a house, based on tip-off from the public, located in Manfouha district where the illicit wine was being made by a group of Asian expatriates.